BuddyFight: High Stakes
by Kohdoku
Summary: Hideki is a high school student who is not interested in Buddyfighting. However, everything changes when he accidentally unleashes a Buddy Monster who was being used in the "Compatability Experiment", a study with the goal of making it possible for any person to buddy with any monster, getting him tangled between the study and those who seek to use the research for their own ends.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Girl with the Ocean's Name, Part 1

It was dark in the districts around Aibo Academy. The normal bustle of the futuristic city was dead silent. Most of the shops were closed for the night and everyone was at home. Everyone except a guy named Hideki, alone in a small shopping district, where all of the stores were barred and shuttered. Hideki was a student of the Aibo Academy High School.

"Aibo Academy High School," you ask? Never heard of it? There weren't any high-school students as part of the ABC cup? The Aibo Academy High School does take part in the ABC cup; however the High School has a competition all to itself. Not only does this follow the standard age brackets found in many tournaments worldwide, but the High School division is larger than both the Elementary and Middle school divisions combined.

Despite going to Aibo Academy, Hideki was not a Buddyfighter. The idea frankly never interested him. Monsters were coming from another world and people were only using them to play card games? The whole thing seemed too silly to take seriously and, in Hideki's opinion, those who played card games were little more than fools with no direction in their lives. Then again did Hideki really have any room to talk? He didn't really have any strong dreams or aspirations of his own and odds were he would pursue whatever job his parents thought he should.

Which tonight was to make a midnight run to the local 24-hour convenience store for a gallon of milk. He was on his way back home at this point. There was no rush, since it was a pretty nice night; a little darker than usual due to the waning moon, but the temperature was pleasant. As a result, He was a bit more relaxed and tuned-out than usual. Or he had to be to not notice the footsteps of someone running down a nearby alley.

Hideki was startled when a figure suddenly burst from the alley, causing him to stop in his tracks and drop the milk he was carrying (which thankfully didn't rupture). The one who had suddenly appeared from the alley was a girl roughly his age, with straight, black hair and glasses, dressed in a simple blouse and non-pleated skirt. She was clearly just as surprised as he was, for she suddenly came to a screeching halt, though the sudden movement caused her to lose her grip on something in her hand, a rectangular box which went skidding to Hideki's feet.

The two looked at each other for a split-second before an arm flew from the shadows behind the girl and lassoed her around her neck, dragging her back into the shadows. Hideki focused on the darkness as his wits caught up with him, remaining stock-still and getting a better look at the assailant.

The first word that came to mind was "Samurai", as the fearsome, metal-plated face-mask and flaring, golden crests on the helmet would suggest, but the armor was considerably less archaic, looking a bit more like a costume from one of those Sentai shows; The armor was silver in color, conservative and functional, covering the chest, torso, shoulders, arms and legs. A black bodysuit and black gloves covered the areas that the armor and helmet didn't, betraying nary a hair of their wearer's identity. The girl struggled futilely in his grip, her toes barely touching the ground.

While he was taking the sight in, Hideki was started as the armored figure suddenly spoke.

"You there," he said he pointed to the object at Hideki's feet, "You are going to pick that up, bring it to me, and then you will leave," His voice was calm and deeply charismatic. Hideki looked down at his feet. Now that he had a better look at it, he could see that the box was, in fact, a Deck Case, blue in color, with pink trim and an ovular yellow jewel in the center.

Now, Hideki was known for his bravery about as much as his ambition, or lack thereof, so he did what any smart person would do when a threatening, potentially violent person made demands of them: comply. No need to try and be a hero. If anything, he could call the police once he was safely away from this lunatic. Hideki bent down and lifted the card case, but in his nervous state, his hand slipped, dropping the box onto the ground and scattering its contents.

"Pick those up," The samurai said imperatively, his patience clearly wearing thin. Hideki dropped to his knees and scrambled to pick up the cards. One by one, he picked them up as quickly as he could, sticking them back into the deck case.

However, as his finger brushed the last card on the ground, it suddenly exploded in a burst of light. Hideki quickly drew his hand back and shielded his eyes. While the mask of the armored figure did not reveal his reaction, he was no doubt surprised by the sudden twist. As for his captive, she, too, was surprised, but there was another expression on her face; distraught, perhaps? But Hideki had little time to puzzle what was happening, as the light from the card grew brighter and larger and shifted into a more humanoid shape.

And suddenly, there was a fourth person in this mess. As the light faded, a distinctly humanoid shape was standing there. It was another girl, fairly young and a wee bit shapeless, wearing a sleeveless purple kimono with an unusually large sea-green obi. The dress was short, reaching slightly more than halfway down the thigh, but a pair of thigh-high leggings made up for the additional space. A golden, jewel-covered comb was lodged into the girl's aqua-colored hair, the rest of which formed a braided ponytail, almost looking like a princess's tiara or other sign of nobility. The most striking thing about her, though, was that in place of where her ears should have been, a pair of three-pointed, blue fins were there instead, with matching fins on her wrists and ankles, holes in her long gloves and leggings accommodated the strange growths.

While everyone else remained still, the girl, calm, but still a bit surprised, took in her surroundings a bit, then smiled wide.

"This is the human world, isn't it?" She said with wonder, "Does that mean you finally got it to work, Shion?" She turned to Hideki at that last phrase. However, the expression she made next made it clear that she was expecting to be looking at someone else. That surprised expression soon melted into dread as the girl's situation sank in. "You're not Shion…" She muttered.

"Marie!" The girl in the samurai's clutches called out, prompting the new arrival to turn her head, her eyes going wide.

"Shion!" She yelled back. She took a more aggressive stance, keeping her hands aimed at Hideki and the masked stranger, "All right, who are you guys?! What are you doing to Shion?!"

"I didn't do anything!' Hideki protested loudly.

"Oh, but you have," The samurai finally spoke up, "You have made a _fatal_ mistake," He reached behind his back and pulled out his own deck case, a considerably more ornate black one with silver trim and a red gem in the middle resembling a cat's eye.

"You'd better let Shion go, you big meanie," The one whose name was no doubt "Marie" demanded, striking a commanding posture.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," the Samurai responded calmly.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Marie yelled. She then lunged headlong at the samurai, pulling back a fist. Another light now burst forth from the Samurai's deck case and landed before him, taking the form of a hulking brute in tattered, red Samurai armor, geta and all, who was at least twice Marie's size. This monstrous man had six muscle-bound arms carrying a horribly mismatched menagerie of swords, though one hand was curiously empty. Lacking a helmet, his face was covered in some sort of eccentric Kabuki paint, and a pair of horns jutted from his head.

It was official; some sort of odd Japanese culture show had arrived in town.

"Oh-ho-HO!" The man in red shouted, "Not so fast, little lady!" Marie halted her charge, taken aback by the red warrior's anachronistic dialog as much as his sudden appearance and size.

"In case my associate hasn't made it clear," The samurai said to Marie, his deck case glowing, "I will be taking this girl with me and, once I'm done with the boy, I'll be taking you, as well," In another flash of light, what was once a deck case was now a belt carrying a pair of sheathed swords, a katana and a wakisazhi, forming a traditional Japanese Daisho, with the red stone from before lodged between the two. Due to having Shion in his clutches, the Samurai was content to merely hold the belt in his free hand, rather than attempt to put it on.

Marie growled; it was clear that she could not take this six-armed demon on by herself. "You!" She commanded, turning back to Hideki, "I don't know who you are or what's going on here, but you're gonna help me buddyfight this guy and save Shion, okay?"

"What?!" Hideki protested, "I don't want any part of this! I don't even know how to play!"

Marie's arms fell slack as she slumped over in disbelief, her larger opponent guffawing wildly, "Ya hear that?! The kid doesn't even know how to buddyfight!" He bellowed.

"Indeed," The Samurai replied, "It will be a shameful act to destroy one so inexperienced."

"On the contrary," The red one quipped, "I relish the thought."

"Either way," The Samurai said, turning his attention back to Hideki, "Your chance to run has long since past. Your choice is either to fight, or perish." He flipped the belt in his hand and raised his finger, delivering a powerful chant, "Come forth and serve your lord! Shinsengumi deck, Luminize!" Swiping his finger through the air, a set of six glowing card-like shapes appeared before him. Two more, larger that the others, appeared at his left.

A chill ran down Hideki's spine at the word "perish". How had a simple milk run devolved into a pair of monsters having a street fight? Hideki wasn't sure what to do. While the Samurai's sidekick didn't cause as much fear, the Samurai himself had an almost suffocating pressure emanating from him. Clearly he was not to be trifled with. Even though Samurai had said otherwise, Hideki contemplated escape once more. The he remembered the deck case he was holding, still with a white-knuckle grip.

"Time's up!" The lumbering red brute declared. He lunged forward at Marie, bringing his swords crashing down upon her. While Marie was able to step out of the way of the blades, she was still caught beneath the monster's arms and was forced to one knee from the sheer force, grunting from the weight.

Seeing the girl suddenly in distress, Hideki began to have second thoughts about everything. His eyes whizzed from the deck case and back to the impending massacre. Hideki swallowed hard; he couldn't believe what he was about to do.

"All right, I'll do it!" Hideki said.

"About time," Marie strained, "Hurry up and turn that Deck Case into a Core Gadget!"

"A what?" Hideki replied, "What do I turn it into?"

"Just think of _something!" _ Marie yelled desperately.

Hideki took another look at the Deck Case. Thinking hard, he pictured something in his mind and pressed the case against his left wrist. In a brilliant flash of light, the deck case had transformed itself into a wrist-mounted device. A box-like shape with the jewel in it formed on the top, and jutting out of the side was a sort of boomerang-shaped tray clearly intended to have cards put on it. You know, like the things they use in that popular TV show about card games.

"A Duel Disk?!" Marie yelled, exasperated, "Of all the things you could have made: a sword, a hammer a gun, you made a _Duel Disk?!"_

"I panicked, okay?!" Hideki retorted.

"You don't have a very strong imagination, do you?" Marie grunted, "Now hurry up and lumizine the deck!"

"How do I-?" Hideki was immediately cut off.

"Shout the name of the deck, followed by "Luminize!" Weren't you paying attention?!" Marie yelled in return. Her posture slouched as the red menace put on more force.

"Uh, right," Hideki said. Looking down at his Core Gadget, the name of the deck appeared on the yellow jewel. Hideki tried to remain serious as he read it off, "Uh, 'Aqua World Basic Deck, Version 1', Luminize!" a quick gesture conjured the same six cards in front and two to the side that the Samurai had. A burst of energy suddenly forced the two combatants apart, causing them to land on the right-hand side of their human partners.

"Take your time, why doncha?" Marie grumbled, panting heavily as she recovered from the onslaught.

"Hey, I'm trying, okay?" Hideki said.

"Much better," the Samurai said, "Then, it's time to raise the flag!" The red soldier behind the Samurai pulled out a large banner bearing the image of a traditional Samurai mask with a pair of swords behind it and planted it in firmly into the concrete, "Katana World!"

"And we fight for Aqua World!" Marie shouted. Hideki, bewildered by the situation, turned and looked behind him to see what was clearly a school of fish behind him. A bunch of blue fish formed the rectangle of the flag, while several orange fish formed the shape of a drop of water surrounded by bubbles in the middle of it. Certainly an odd sight, "We're not afraid of you!" Marie piped up again.

"Ah, but your friend doesn't know how to play, right?" Samurai responded calmly, "In that case, I shall lead," Samurai lifted his finger again and pointed to one of the six lights before him, "Charge and Draw," With a swipe of said finger, the small card flew up and joined the other two cards to his left, becoming three. The remaining five lights merged together, the split apart again into six cards. He pointed to another light and flicked this one upwards, "I then call Wandering Ronin Bunaga to the center!"

A flash of glyphs in front of the Samurai heralded the appearance of his monster. Once the lights vanished, what was left was a man wearing a pair of hakama pants and wielding a large Katana, his hair tied back in a ponytail.

_Wandering Ronin, Bunaga  
Katana World/Monster/Samurai  
Size 1  
ATK 4000  
DEF 2000  
CRI: 2_

The Samurai continued his turn, "I will also pay 1 gauge to play the Set spell "Bushido"," One of the three cards to Samurai's left disappeared and a disc of light portraying a samurai sitting cross-legged in deep meditation over his sword appeared in its place, "which increases the attack and defense of all of my Samurai monsters by 1000!" Bunaga held his sword vertically, closing his eyes and focusing his thoughts, "Now, Bunaga, attack the fighter!" Bunaga's eyes flew open with a determined glare. Drawing his sword back, he charged forward at Hideki with a loud battle cry.

Hideki was filled with fear at the onrush and tried to brace himself, but it was too late: Bunaga's sword sliced clean through Hideki's torso. Hideki let out a gutteral scream as the blade passed through him. As he recoiled, something crossed his mind: where was the pain? Hideki looked down and found that he had not, in fact, been cut in two, but had been streaked with an odd sort of digital webbing that mimicked where the wound should have been, the only sensation being a sort of light prickling, like when your foot falls asleep. Hideki's eyes went wide at the realization of the strength of his reaction.

The six armed man chuckled at the sight, "He really _hasn't_ played before!"

Hideki panted hard, recovering from the shock, his hands on his knees. He was interrupted by a hand waving in front of his face.

"Hello, Earth to Human!" Marie said, "It's our turn!"

Hideki rose and pressed his hand against his face to regain his focus, "Okay," he said, "So first, I…"

"Draw," Marie said, grabbing Hideki's hand and dragging it across the lights, causing them to merge, then separate into seven, "Now pick a card you don't need, then toss it to the gauge to draw another card,"

"Cards?" Hideki said. Upon further inspection of the lights, Hideki realized that there were, in fact, images of the cards within them. One of them even had Marie's picture on it. He put his finger on one card, a card named "Douse", which had a lot of terms he didn't understand, and added it to his gauge, drawing a new card.

"Now play monsters whose number in the top left add up to three," Marie said. Hideki looked up at the Samurai. Despite the impromptu playing lesson, he was waiting patiently. Even his captive, Shion, though still wide-eyed and fearful, had given up on trying to escape.

It was still a bit for Hideki to wrap his head around, but he figured he'd do his best. One of the Monsters had pretty big number, a size 2, so he picked it, "I call, uh, 'Swing…Swinging Anchor Mermaid to the Center." Hideki flicked the card upwards, and this time the glyphs appeared in front of him with a light gust. Floating in front of him was a tanned, muscular figure with the lower body of a shark wearing a pirate hat and heaving a large anchor over one shoulder, though the chest wrap and the shape of the waist made the figure unmistakably female.

_Swinging Anchor Mermaid  
Aqua World/Monster/Nereid  
Size 2  
ATK: 5000  
DEF: 2000  
CRI: 3_

"And," Hideki continued, "I call Ocean Princess, Marie to the left!" He then realized what he had said, "Wait. 'Princess'?!"

"That's my queue!" Marie said, leaping over Hideki's head and into the space on his left.

_Aquatic Princess, Marie  
Aqua World/Monster/Nereid/Royal  
Size 1  
ATK: 2000  
DEF: 3000  
CRI: 1_

"And since this is a Buddy Call, you get one life point back!" Marie declared, pointing above Hideki's head. Hideki looked up. He hadn't noticed it before, but there was, in fact, a number "8" floating above his head. He watched as the number changed itself slowly into a "9".

"That's a good thing, right?" Hideki said.

"Of course it is, you moron!" Marie yelled.

"Okay, what next?" Hideki muttered, grabbing his chin, "I'm guessing I have to get rid of the guy in the center, first." He glanced up at Anchor Mermaid. She certainly looked stronger than Bunaga did.

"Attack with Marie!" Shion yelled suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her, "If you attack with the weaker monsters first, then you can deal more damage to your opponent with your bigger ones!"

Hideki's eyes widened in realization; what Shion said had actually made a lot of sense.

Samurai's grip on Shion suddenly tightened and he lifted her into the air, causing his arm to strain more tightly against Shion's neck, "Not another word out of you." He commanded with a menacing softness. Shion strained visibly under the added pressure.

"Shion!" Marie yelled distressfully. She then turned back towards Hideki with a determined expression. Hideki met her gaze, and the two nodded.

"Marie attacks Bunaga!" Hideki declared.

"All right!" Marie yelled. Leaving her spot, she dashed up to Bunaga, who readied his sword. With a yell, Marie leapt into the air and delivered a powerful flying kick, which managed to slip past Bunaga's sword and find purchase on his stomach. Bunaga recoiled as the wind was knocked out of him, and he burst apart in a flurry of black cards. Marie jumped back to her position.

"And now Anchor Mermaid attacks the fighter!" Hideki declared. With a Sultry chuckle, the Anchor Mermaid darted forward and heaved her anchor off of her shoulder, bringing it crashing down onto Samurai, who simply used his belt as a shield to absorb the force of the blow. The "10" above him shattered three times, changing into a 9, then an 8, and finally a 7.

"Hmph," Samurai replied, "Perhaps you do have some fight in you,"

"Let me handle things," The man in red insisted, "I'm more than enough for them!"

"Indeed," The Samurai responded, "Draw! Charge and Draw!" Samurai's hand grew to five and his gauge returned to three, "First, I will pay one gauge to cast Art of Explosive Hades Fall," Another disc appeared next to Bushido, this one showing a ninja ringed with energy throwing himself at a large dragon. Another card appeared in Samurai's hand and was tossed into this new spell.

"Now, by paying another gauge, I buddy call Sword Collector Gilgamesh to the Center!" Samurai flicked another card out of his hand.

"All right!" The red man, now revealed as "Gilgamesh", shouted, releasing the banner and leaping in front of Samurai, "Now we fight like men! And ladies!" He shouted, regarding the gender of the opposing monsters.

"And since it is a Buddy Call, I regain one life," True to what he said Samurai's life points reformed itself from a "7" to an "8".

_Sword Collector, Gilgamesh  
Katana World/Monster/Samurai  
ATK: 5000  
DEF: 4000  
CRI: 3_

"Gilgamesh, attack the Anchor Mermaid!" Samurai commanded.

Elated at the chance for some action, Gilgamesh raised his swords and rushed in, bringing all five into her starboard side. With a slight yelp, Anchor Mermaid exploded into a flurry of cards from the strike, all except for her anchor, which Gilgamesh grabbed with his free hand and hefted into the air.

"Wait, how does that work?" Hideki said.

Gilgamesh laughed, "That's not my only party trick!" he stated, leaping back to his position and bringing the tip of the anchor to rest on the ground.

"You will see Gilgamesh's true ability soon enough," Samurai said, "It is your turn."

"Oh, right," Hideki said, "Draw, Charge and draw…" Hideki paged over his hand again, as well as his new acquisitions. He glanced up at Marie, who looked apprehensive. Hideki picked a card from his hand.

"I call…Ocean Dragon Archelos to the Center!" He said. In the center zone appeared a savage creature, a mix between a giant sea turtle and the Loch Ness Monster, a mouth filled with bristling, needle-like teeth. It let out a loud hiss.

_Ocean Dragon, Archelos  
Aqua World/Monster/Ocean Dragon  
Size 2  
ATK: 5000  
DEF: 6000  
CRI: 2_

"Archelos, Attack Gilgamesh!" Hideki commanded. With a roar, the monster leapt forward and snapped at Gilgamesh with its jaws, biting around his midsection.

"Ooh, ya got me!" Gilgamesh yelled as he burst into cards. However, the cards suddenly stopped, then reformed back into Gilgamesh, "Just kidding!" he taunted, the Anchor he had stolen exploding into cards instead.

Marie gasped.

"Wait," Hideki yelled incredulously, "How does _that_ work?!"

Gilgamesh's laugh this time was deafening.

"You see," Samurai said, "Gilgamesh has an ability called "Soul Guard". As long as there are any cards in his soul, whenever he is defeated in battle, he discards a card from his soul to come right back," Samurai raised his head, "The twist is that, whenever Gilgamesh defeats a monster, that monster gets added to his soul; so, as long as he defeats one of your monsters every turn, he's invincible! And you cannot get to me unless you deal with him, first!" This time, even Samurai took part in a light chuckle.

Hideki furrowed his brow. If Gilgamesh couldn't be defeated, then what chance did he have? Hideki looked down at his hand; not a single one of his cards could survive an attack by Gilgamesh! Inexperienced though he was, Hideki knew he was in a bad situation.

"And that is not the only method I have at my disposal," Samurai chided, "My turn..._Draw!"_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Girl with the Ocean's Name: Part 2

"Charge and Draw!" The Samurai declared, bringing his gauge to two once more, "And I pay Two Gauge in order to play the item Genji Glove". Samurai raised the hand holding his Daisho as it was wreathed in light, his hand clad in a metal gauntlet colored a deep red.

_Genji Glove_  
_Katana World/Item_  
_ATK: 2000  
_ _CRI: 1_

"What?" Marie objected, "Why are you equipping an item? You can't attack with it while you have a monster in the center!"

"I don't plan to," The Samurai quipped. He thrust his hand into the air, his Genji Glove glowing green, "By resting Genji Glove, I give one of my Samurai monsters the ability to attack twice this turn!" Marie and Hideki's expressions went pale as Gilgamesh glowed with the same Green power, "Gilgamesh, attack Archelos!"

"With pleasure!" Gilgamesh lunged forward and, with incredible speed, brought his sword crashing down upon the poor dragon turtle, stirring the dust from the earth. Once it had cleared, only Gilgamesh remained, holding a turtle-shell shield in his hand, and shooting a predatory glance at Hideki.

"Now, attack the fighter!" Samurai commanded.

And Gilgamesh did so, whipping his swords around and cleaving into Hideki for 3 more damage, leaving him at 6.

Hideki knew it was his turn, but his situation had only worsened since his last one. As long as he kept defeating monsters, Gilgamesh was indestructible, and now he could attack twice per turn?! What was Hideki supposed to do?!

"Draw! Charge and Draw!" Hideki looked at his hand. He'd actually drawn a couple of interesting cards. Perhaps if he couldn't go through Gilgamesh, he'd try going around?

"I call Stinging Sprite Pawn to the Center!" Appearing before him was a small, faerie-like creature, though aside from its miniscule size, feminine shape and fluttering wings, it didn't seem to fit the stereotype at all. This faerie was clad in heavy-looking plate armor, wielding a large shield and a lance.

_Stinging Sprite Pawn  
_ _Aqua World/Nereid  
_ _Size 1_  
_ATK: 2000  
_ _DEF: 2000  
_ _CRI: 1_

"Stinging Sprite Pawn can attack the fighter directly as long as they have any open zones! Sprite Pawn, attack the Fighter!" Sprite Pawn flipped its lance around in its hand and dodged around Gilgamesh, coming around at Samurai in a diagonal strike.

Samurai looked unimpressed.

"I pay 1 gauge!" Hideki said, "and cast Precise Strike, which changes the critical of one of my Nereid monsters with only 1 critical to 3 for this attack only!" Sprite Pawn drew its lance back and, with a fierce expression, lunged at Samurai with twice the gusto, hitting him with a harder attack and dropping his health to 5.

However, Samurai merely brushed off the digitally-projected hole that had formed on his chest, causing it to fizzle and fade.

"An interesting diversion," Samurai said, "But nothing more. Draw. Charge and Draw. " He raised his Genji Glove once more, "Now, Gilgamesh, destroy his pawn, then attack the fighter."

Gilgamesh lurched forward and kicked his foot high into the air, bringing it down onto the startled sprite, mashing into a burst of black cards on the pavement before pivoting on his planted foot to deliver a flurry of blades into Hideki's side.

Hideki was now at 3 life. Even with that little trick, he hadn't managed to shake Samurai at all. Unless he drew something now, things looked hopeless, as he was only one blow from Gilgamesh away from losing.

"I draw!" Hideki said as he started his turn. He took one glance at the card he drew, "And I call Stinging Coral Mermaid to the center!" A pink-colored mermaid with a vapid expression covered in matching coral growths appeared before him, letting out what sounded like a combination between yawn and a sigh as it appeared.

_Stinging Coral Mermaid  
_ _Aqua World/Nereid  
_ _Size 1  
_ _ATK: 0_  
_DEF: 7000  
_ _CRI: 1_

At least he could buy some time with this. At 7000 Defense, Gilgamesh couldn't break through so easily. Which is why Hideki was so surprised when Marie protested loudly.

"You moron!" She yelled.

"What?" Hideki shot back.

"You forgot to charge and draw!" Marie returned.

Hideki growled in return. Like he cared at this point! All he had his mind on was surviving this turn. And his new wall …

…promptly exploded. Hideki recoiled as shards of stinging coral struck him, leaving digital pockmarks across his body. As the smoke cleared, he found that his Stinging Coral Mermaid was gone and that his life points had dropped to 1.

"Wh…what?!" Hideki was stunned.

"Art of Explosive Hades Fall," Samurai returned, pointing to the circle he had played before. The card within was revealed to be another copy of Wandering Ronin, Bunaga. "When you call a monster, I can reveal the monster I concealed within this card. If they are the same size, the monster is destroyed and its wielder suffers two damage," The spell then vanished, "So, what will you do now? Your barrier is gone and you are down to your last life point; And when that one life goes away, so will yours."

Hideki fell to his knees. If the weight of his opponent's superior tactics hadn't sank in before, it did now. This whole time, Samurai had been toying with him like a fool, and had picked now to sink in his fangs. Samurai's demoralizing tactics had worked perfectly, as Hideki had no idea what to do next.

"What are you doing, you moron?!" Marie yelled, "How could you fall for his trap like that?! If Shion were playing, she'd"

"Shut up!" Hideki yelled, shooting to his feet, his face red-hot with rage, "I call Swinging Anchor Mermaid to the center!" The same sultry lass as before popped into existence except…was her hair a different color!? "Anchor Mermaid attacks Gilgamesh!"

"No, you idiot!" Marie yelled, "He's just gonna do the same thing again!"

"I said: Shut _UP!"_ Hideki yelled, a vein bulging in his neck.

Anchor Mermaid darted forward, raised its anchor, and brought it crashing down onto Gilgamesh, who simply intercepted the blow with his turtle shield. The shield was destroyed, but Gilgamesh remained standing due to his Soulguard.

As Hideki's turn ended, Hideki was still panting with rage and Marie was practically tearing her hair out. At this, Samurai enjoyed a sensible chuckle.

"Well then," he said, "A valiant effort, flailing around like a trapped beast, but I suppose that's the best you could do." Samurai still went through the motions of drawing, then charging and drawing, before raising the Genji Glove one more time, "Finish him, Gilgamesh!"

With a triumphant laugh, Gilgamesh leapt into the air and came crashing down onto Anchor Mermaid, stealing his second anchor for the night. He then turned to Hideki and postured himself, obviously relishing the opportunity. He crouched down and raised his swords, keeping the anchor over his shoulder.

"Attack the fighter!" Samurai made a grand gesture, pointing to Hideki with the Genji Glove. Shion could only watch helplessly in her half-conscious state. With a growl, Gilgamesh stepped forward with a slow, menacing walk, clearly intending to drag this slaughter out and enjoy it as long as he could.

Hideki staggered back, his heart nearly bursting from his chest. However, the fear he was feeling was soon thrown off by Marie's less-than supportive words.

"This has got to be the worst night of my life!" She yelled, "I mean, I finally get to the Human World, and not only do I get paired up with the WORST player it has to offer, but now my best friend's going to get kidnapped. If you weren't such a blithering idiot, this wouldn't have happened!"

That was enough. Hideki's rage returned to him. He hadn't asked for any of this, either. All he had been expecting that night was a simple milk run through empty streets, not a life-threatening duel to the death!

"Ya know what?!" Hideki yelled at Marie with a snarl.

"What?!" Marie snarled back.

"Fluid Tactics!" Hideki replied.

Before she even knew what had happened, two of Hideki's gauge had disappeared, a circle had appeared at his right, and Marie found herself in the path of Gilgamesh's attack! She only had enough time to let out a yelp as Gilgamesh's attack came crashing down onto her.

_Fluid Tactics  
_ _Aqua World/Spell_  
_[Set][Counter][Cast Cost] Pay 1 Gauge._  
_[Act][Counter] Pay 1 gauge. Move one of your monsters into an adjacent empty zone. If a monster is moved to the Center Zone this way while you are being attacked directly, said monster becomes the new attack target._

The crushing blow whipped up a cloud of dust to end all clouds of dust. Gilgamesh's hulking form could still be seen through crouched over as his attack had landed. Actually, it looked more like had had fallen over. Standing over him was another figure. As things became more clear, Hideki could see that it was…Marie?!

Marie, with her hands firmly on her hips, turned and glared at Hideki. Gilgamesh let out a grunt as she rotated on her feet and loomed over Hideki.

"What was that for?!" She yelled.

"Wh-why aren't you dead?' Hideki said, suddenly nervous.

A shift in Gilgamesh's weight prompted Marie to leap from on top of him. She did a perfect flip in the air and landed gracefully in front of Hideki. She then rammed her finger straight onto the tip of Hideki's nose.

"You tried to kill me!" She complained.

"So why didn't you die?!" Hideki retorted. Indeed, Marie's defensive power was barely half that of Gilgamesh's attacking power.

"What are you talking about?" Marie chided, "I can't be destroyed by an attack with a power of 5000 or more! Don't you know the abilities of the cards in your own deck?!"

"It's not my deck!" Hideki fired back, heaving.

With a strong harrumph, Marie turned back around to guard the Center, arms firmly crossed and face in a strong pout. Gilgamesh growled at having been robbed of his victory and, in an equally bad mood, returned to his position as well. Samurai remained silent at the development.

Still panting from the outburst, Hideki took the fact that he was now in a better defensive position as a chance to calm down. He put his hand to his face and calmed his breathing. He took a deep, cleansing breath through his nostrils and focused his mind.

"Draw," He then shot a nasty look at Marie, who fired one right back, "Charge and Draw," He sighed again; still nothing in his hand that could defeat Gilgamesh and survive his retribution. Even if he stalled Gilgamesh for now, no doubt Samurai would bring out some other trick to eliminate his one remaining life point, while Samurai himself was still sitting securely at five.

Man, it was a nice night. Well, aside from being caught in a struggle for his life, the weather was still quite pleasent. Hideki took another deep breath of the perfect night air, taking in the moment. At this point, it felt more like delaying the inevitable than anything else. He turned and looked at Marie, who was still obviously pouting. He had to wonder what she was thinking right now. It was probably more than he could manage.

"Ocean Dragon Aquiladon!" Hideki was suddenly snapped out of his stupor by Shion's voice. She was now struggling against Samurai's grip by trying to pull herself up with both arms, "It can break through Gilgamesh's Soul Guard!"

"I said, enough!" A clearly angered Samurai yelled, whipping his arm back and hurling Shion hard into the nearby wall. Shion slammed into the wall and crumpled into a heap, motionless.

"Shion!" Marie yelled in shock.

While startled at first, Hideki soon grit his teeth and looked at what he had at his disposal. In fact, Ocean Dragon Aquiladon _was_ in his hand; he had simply been ignoring it since it dealt less damage than his other cards and could not survive the retribution Gilgamesh could deliver. Then again, Hideki had noticed that Gilgamesh did not gather Sprite Pawn's weapon when he defeated it. Could it be that he could only hold one soul at a time? Skimming some of his other cards, Hideki found that, maybe, he could come up with a plan if Shion was right about Aquiladon's ability, and he himself was right about Gilgamesh's.

"I'll pay 1 gauge to summon Ocean Dragon Aquiladon to the right!" Hideki declared. The monster that appeared to his right resembled a fish more than a dragon, a bipedal beast, covered in ornate fins. Its large, dragon-like head bristling with shark-like teeth was probably the only standout draconic aspect. The newly summoned monster let out a loud, high-pitched roar.

_Ocean Dragon, Aquiladon  
_ _Aqua World/Ocean Dragon  
_ _Size 2_  
_ATK: 6000_  
_DEF: 5000_  
_CRI: 2_  
_[Call Cost]: Pay 1 gauge  
_ _[Penetrate]_

"Aquiladon attacks Gilgamesh!" Hideki declared. Gilgamesh braced himself as Aquiladon took a deep breath, then thrust its head forward, firing a high-pressure stream of water from its mouth. It thrust through Gilgamesh, bursting him into cards and continuing on towards Samurai, who held up his daisho in defense, the water crashing around it and caused some visible knockback, leaving Samurai at 3 life points. Gilgamesh then reformed minus his anchor, obviously woozy as he staggered about.

"How many times has that happened today?" He asked himself.

Shion had been right. Even though Gilgamesh returned due to Soul Guard, Aquiladon's attack still got through to Samurai.

Samurai growled. "That will be your last turn!" he declared, "Draw! Charge and Draw!" However, as soon as that 1 gauge had appeared, two of them vanished, "I cast Art of Explosive: Hades Fall! And another Art of Explosive: Hades Fall!" Two identical circles appeared next to him, each holding a separate card, "You may have gotten through Gilgamesh's defenses, but you have merely delayed the inevitable! Gilgamesh! Attack Aquiladon!"

Gilgamesh let out a loud roar and lunged for the Ocean Dragon.

"Not so fast!" Hideki yelled, "I'll pay one gauge to cast 'Freeze!'!" A chilling wave of energy flew from Hideki's fingertips and struck the advancing Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh went wide-eyed as he found himself suddenly frozen solid in a huge crystal of ice!

_Freeze!_ _Aqua World/Spell_  
_You may only play this card while an opponent's monster is attacking._  
_[Cast Cost] Pay 1 Gauge._  
_Nullify the attack. The attacking monster cannot ready until the end of your opponent's next turn._

There was the obvious creaking of leather as Samurai's fist tightened around the belt of his daisho. Hideki wasn't sure at the time, but he thought he might have heard a growl come from the masked stranger. Equally shocking was Marie's expression. She seemed surprised that Hideki had actually made a good move for once. Hideki even found himself feeling a little smug.

"All right, let's go!" He declared, "Draw! Charge and Draw!" Hideki checked the cards he had pulled; finally, he'd drawn an item card! How did they work again? "I pay 1 gauge to activate Fluid Tactics and move Marie to the Left!" The gauge he had just played vanished from the field and Marie hopped to the left area, leaving the center area, and the frozen Gilgamesh, wide-open, "And, I equip the Torque Drillpeedo!" Hideki's right arm was bathed in light; mounted to his arm was what looked like heavy underwater gear colored yellow, a funnel with a screw propeller in the back lead up the side of the arm which was tipped with a drill at the end.

_Torque Drillpeedo_  
_Aqua World/Item_  
_ATK: 3000  
_ _CRI: 2_

"Aquiladon attacks Gilgamesh!" Aquiladon reared up and fired off another stream of water. Gilgamesh's muffled complaints were drowned out as the water pierced through the frozen fighter, shattering him into a thousand pieces, this time for good. Samurai was again taken by surprise as the water slammed into him.

"Marie attacks the Fighter!"

"Right!" Marie yelled. Arms swept back, Marie charged at the reeling Samurai, "This is for Shion!" She yelled as she leapt into the air, ready to deliver the final blow. Just then, Samurai's eyes whipped up towards her and he grabbed one of the cards in his hand.

"Genji Shield!" He called. An ornate, rectangular shield appeared between him and Marie, blocking Marie's kick, "With Genji Shield, I nullify an attack against me while my center is open!" Marie kicked off of the shield and flipped back into position.

"You'd better have another one, then, cuz here we go!" Hideki yelled. Supporting his right arm with his left, he charged up his weapon, the power of the screw and drill winding up to attack speed, then releasing as he lunged forward at the staggered Samurai. The Samurai let out a frustrated roar, as all he could do was raise his daisho to block the incoming attack.

Hideki's attack landed spot-on. The sound of metal-on-metal pierced the night air as Hideki delivered the finishing blow. Hideki's teeth clenched tightly as Samurai tried to resist. However, the force was so great, that a crack began to form in the red jewel on Samurai's daisho. Taking note of this, Samurai suddenly pulled away.

Hideki's balance was thrown off by the retreat and he fell forwards onto the ground. Around him, all of the other features of the game; Bushido, Fluid Tactics, Aquiladon, the Gauge, his weapon, all of it blinked away except for Marie. When he looked up again, Samurai was gone, the sound of fleeing footsteps being the only trace he left behind.

"Did…did I just win?" Hideki said as he rose to his feet.

"Don't congratulate yourself too much," Marie snarked as she walked up to Hideki, "You were only able to win because of Shio-" Then realization snapped, "Shion!" Marie yelled, shoving Hideki to the side and back into the main walkway as she dashed towards Shion's motionless body, "Shion, are you okay?" Shion let out a faint groan as Marie cradled her head in her arms.

"Oh, Shion, you're all right," Marie said with relief. Hideki sighed and stood up again. Seeing Marie hold Shion's head in her lap, he wondered just what kind of relationship the two girls had.

He didn't have much time to think, though, as a large, green dragon foot came crashing down and pinned him to the street once more.


	3. Intermission(The Girl with the Ocean's

~INTERMISSION~

Hello there! I'm Paruko, here to guide you through the World of Buddyfight: High Stakes!

Like how water ebbs and flows, users of the **Aqua World** specialize in keeping the battlefield constantly shifting and unpredictable. Aqua World decks rely on confusing the opponent by attacking from unconventional angles and keeping them on their heels. While the Ocean Dragons have more force, the Nereids are far better at trickery, and proper synergy tends to come from mixing the two. Aqua World is a lot of fun to play, but it sounds like just as much work.

_**Next Chapter:**__ Just who are Marie and Shion and why would they be targeted by the mysterious Samurai? Hideki learns what he's really in for when he is introduced to the Compatability Experiment. Things seem to go smoothly, but could Shion be keeping a secret of her own? All will be revealed in the next exciting act: "Fate and Friendship"._

_**New Cards used in these chapters:**_

**Aqua World**

Aquatic Princess, Marie  
Aqua World/Nereid/Ruler  
Size 1  
ATK: 2000  
DEF: 3000  
CRI: 1  
{NIMBLE}: If this card is defeated by an attack with a power of 5000 or more, it is not destroyed.

Stinging Sprite Pawn  
Aqua World/Nereid  
Size 1  
ATK: 2000  
DEF: 2000  
CRI: 1  
{DIAGONAL THRUST}: This monster can attack your opponent directly as long as they have at least one open zone (even if their center zone is filled).

Swinging Anchor Mermaid  
Aqua World/Nereid  
Size 2  
ATK: 5000  
DEF: 2000  
CRI: 3

Ocean Dragon, Archelos.  
Aqua World/Water Dragon  
Size 2  
ATK: 5000  
DEF: 6000  
CRI: 2

Ocean Dragon Aquiladon  
Aqua World/Water Dragon  
ATK: 6000  
DEF: 5000  
CRI: 2  
[Call Cost]: Pay 1 Gauge.  
[Penetrate]

Stinging Coral Mermaid  
Size 1  
ATK: 0  
DEF: 7000  
CRI: 1

Torque Drillpeedo  
Aqua World/Item  
ATK: 3000  
CRI: 2

"Freeze!"  
Aqua World/Spell/Defense  
[Cast Cost] Pay 1 gauge.  
You can only play this card while you are being attacked.  
[Counter]Nullify the attack. The attacking monster cannot ready until the end of your opponent's next turn.

Fluid Tactics  
Aqua World/Spell  
[Set][Counter][Cast Cost] Pay 1 Gauge.  
[ACT][Counter] Pay 1 Gauge, move one of your monsters to any adjacent empty zone. If you move a monster to the center zone this way while you are being attacked directly, that monster becomes the new attack target.

Precision Strike  
Aqua World/Spell/Nereid  
[Cast Cost]: Pay 1 Gauge.  
Play only when one of your Nereid monsters with a Critical of 1 or less attacks.  
[Counter]That Monster's critical becomes 3 during this attack.

**Katana World:**

Wandering Ronin Bunaga.  
Katana World/Samurai  
Size 1  
ATK: 4000  
DEF: 1000  
CRI: 2

Sword Collector, Gilgamesh  
Katana World/Samurai  
Size 2  
ATK: 5000  
DEF: 4000  
CRI: 3  
[Call Cost]: Pay 1 Gauge  
[Cont] {Weapon Stealing}When this Monster defeats another Monster in battle and sends it to the Drop Zone, if there are no cards in this monster's soul, add that monster to this monster's soul.  
[Soulguard]

Bushido  
Katana World/Spell/Samurai  
[Cast Cost]: Pay 1 Gauge  
[Set] All of your [Samurai] Monsters gain +1000 ATK and +1000 DEF

Genji Shield  
Katana World/Spell/Defense  
You may only cast this card when your opponent attacks you and you have no monster in the Center.  
[Counter]: Nullify the Attack.

Genji Glove  
Katana World/Item/Samurai  
ATK: 2000  
CRI: 1  
[Cast Cost]: Pay 2 Gauge  
[ACT] Rest this card. Pick one of your {Samurai} Monsters in play. This turn, that monster gets [Twin Strike].

**Can you open a Buddy Rare Card? What do you think?**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Fate and Friendship, Part 1

"Hold it right there, criminal scum!" A voice rumbled. Hideki glanced upwards and saw that a large, green, winged dragon had stepped him on. Upon its head sat what appeared to be a sort of switchblade, which whipped forward with a loud snap.

"Tasuku, here," Another voice said, Hideki and Marie's focus shifted again to a flying, blue-haired…kid? A pair of rotating discs made of light next to his ankles appeared to be what was keeping him airborne. Next to him, a disc-like Core Gadget in the shape of the Star Pulsar floated nearby. The kid was slowly descending to the ground as he talked on the radio, "We have apprehended the suspect, and have an injured civilian; please send the medical team,"

"Roger," a voice crackled through the other end of the radio.

"Suspect?!" Hideki protested.

"That's right," The dragon responded. He then turned to Marie and Shion, "Don't worry, you two, you're safe now!"

"But I didn't do anything!" Hideki yelled.

"A likely story," The dragon replied sarcastically.

"But it's true!" Marie, "That guy, um…" She then looked to Hideki, as if waiting for him to say something. Hideki caught on quickly.

"Hideki," he replied flatly, propping his head up with his arm. He'd never mentioned his name, had he?

"Yeah," Marie continued, "Hideki may be an idiot, but he didn't do any of this!"

'_Idiot?!' _Hideki thought to himself, a vein popping on his forehead.

"You should be chasing after the nut-job in the samurai armor! He went that way!" Marie pointed down the alleyway.

The kid and his dragon companion turned and looked at each other, puzzled.

"I didn't see anyone in that alley when we flew over, did you?" The Dragon asked.

"No, Jack, I didn't," Tasuku replied, gripping his chin. He then noticed the Core Gadget on Hideki's arm. Bringing up his Star Pulsar, he looked up the Core Gadget in his database, "It says here that this Deck Case and Aquatic Princess, Marie are registered to one "Shion Wakamichi". So why is this guy wearing it?"

"That's a bit of a long story," Marie replied.

"Half of which I've apparently missed," Hideki deadpanned.

"Wakamichi? Marie?" The voice crackled over the radio, "I thought I knew those names! I believe they're with the Compatibility Experiment." There was a brief pause, "Oh, this is sure to complicate things. Tasuku."

"Yes, sir?"

"Once the injured civilian is secured, I'll explain everything back here at headquarters,"

"Roger that," Tasuku replied as the radio fizzled. He made a gesture towards the green dragon named "Jack". Taking the prompt, Jack lifted his foot and released Hideki. Hideki stood up and dusted off his clothes, "I apologize for that," Tasuku continued, "But I'll have to ask both of you to join me at Buddy Police Headquarters once the girl is properly cared for."

The ride to the Headquarters was quiet and awkward. A Buddy Police patrol van had picked them up and not a word was shared between Hideki, Marie, and Tasuku throughout the entire ride. Tasuku, while having his arms firmly crossed, seemed to be catching a nap, his partner Jack having retreated into his Deck Case. Marie would be glancing around between the outside window, the others riding around, and her feet, likely preoccupied with Shion and her situation.

Hideki was pretty preoccupied, himself. The reality of what had happened was finally sinking in. Had he really just played a card game with his life at stake? Does that happen often around here? And, despite his lack of interest in Buddyfighting, didn't a Buddy only work for one person at a time? He at least knew that much.

Hopefully the answers would be found in the large building they were pulling up to. The Buddy Police headquarters was a skyline-dominating, tube-shaped structure ending with a large crystal at the top. Being the Worldwide headquarters, it housed some of the most intricate equipment the human world had ever produced.

Hideki watched as they pulled up to the gigantic, crystalline monument to the cooperation between Humans and Monsters, legal or otherwise. A bit of an ironic twist, actually. When they arrived, they were greeted by a blonde-haired, bespectacled woman in a red beret and an effeminate version of the outfit Tasuku wore, a clipboard in her hand.

"If you would follow me, please," she said with a professional smile. Hideki and Marie stepped out of the van, but Tasuku remained inside. The woman took notice of this and poked her head into the van, "Tasuku, we're here." she said brightly.

With a startle, Tasuku snapped awake, "I… I wasn't asleep!" He said. That statement convinced nobody.

"Tasuku, you've been working hard all day and all night," The woman replied, "You should go home and get some rest,"

"No, I'm fine, Stella!" Tasuku retorted as he stood up.

"Those are orders from Professor I, I'm afraid," Stella replied, turning up her hands.

Tasuku sighed, "Fine," he said calmly. Grasping his head to fend off how tired he really was, he pulled out his Deck Case, "Let's go home, Jack." At that, Jack popped out of the Deck Case once more. With a gleam of Jack's eyes, the Deck Case transformed once again into the Star Pulsar and the rings appeared at Tasuku's feet. The two floated into the air and vanished into the night sky.

Stella sighed, "I'm sorry about that. He gets that way if he thinks we're treating him like a child,"

"I guess I can see where that comes from," Hideki replied.

"He works so hard, even though he's only twelve years old." Stella replied, "I'm afraid he'll work himself to death."

"Wait, he's _twelve?" _ Hideki replied, "I thought he was just, ya know, _short_."

Stella giggled a bit at this, "If you will follow me, I'll take you to see Commander I."

You could see everything from the elevator. Hideki actually felt a bit ill as the Earth plummeted below him. Still, the night view of the city was something to behold, with every streetlight, house light, and warning light appearing vividly against the darkened ground. Despite the sight, Marie remained in the corner, glancing at the double elevator doors.

"Trying to see if you can spot your house from here?" Stella said warmly in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

"You can see _everyone's_ house from here," Hideki deadpanned.

"Well, in this business, that's kind of the idea," Stella replied without skipping a beat. She had clearly been prepared for Hideki's return.

Even in her melancholy state, Marie managed to stifle a laugh. Stella smiled, as she had released some of the tension in the small room. At the top floor, the elevator doors opened to reveal Mission Control. The enormous heart of the Buddy Police Headquarters was filled with operators working at their terminals. In Vanguard of all of this technology was a television screen the size of Hideki's house. Watching this large screen, a squat man in a captain's chair that was raised at least twenty feet into the air.

"Commander I," Stella said, saluting, "I've brought the two you wanted to see,"

The man in the captain's chair turned his head, then activated a switch on his chair, causing the arm to swivel around so that he faced Hideki and the others, "Ah, yes, welcome!" He said, "I apologize for the rough treatment, but when we noticed that Marie had emerged in such a place, we suspected foul play."

"Yeah, about that," Hideki said, "What is going on, anyway? Should I even be in here? I mean, how much of this stuff is Top Secret,"

"I'm afraid you've already stumbled across one of our secrets," Commander I replied, "I figured it would be better if you knew what was happening. Besides, we need to know just what happened."

Hideki gave Commander I the details of what had happened that night to the best of his ability, Commander I listened with rapt attention, his eyebrows furrowed intently. He gripped his chin as Hideki finished up.

"You mean to say that you and this stranger in the Samurai armor had a full-on Buddyfight?" He said.

Hideki nodded.

"That shouldn't be possible," Commander I continued, "Normally, a Buddyfight cannot occur outside of an arena or within the Buddy Police shield." He swiveled his chair around again, "Then again, we have been encountering some unusual phenomena lately. There's a chance they could be related."

He made some gestures over the control panel in his chair, bringing up the aftermath of the recent attack on the Photon Metal Mine. The building had been reduced to the appearance of swiss cheese, and the wreckage of both parts of the building and the security put in place to keep it safe was everywhere. Finally, an image of a person appeared: with long, gray hair and dark skin in a trenchcoat, carrying a large drill and wearing a maniacal expression.

"These sorts of incidents are increasing," Commander I replied, "We're still trying to investigate the cause, but nobody can say for sure what's happening,"

"So why would somebody like that be after these two," Hideki asked, "You still haven't explained that yet,"

"Those two are a unique case. They are part of a project we are overseeing here at headquarters called "The Compatability Experiment"."

"The what?" Hideki replied.

"Well, it's a thing where, apparently only some people can buddy with some monsters, or," He grabbed his chin, "Erm, I'm sure the scientists in charge could explain it better than I could. Shion and Marie were volunteers for the program which is why, even though Marie had not yet emerged into this world, that she and that deck case were provisionally registered to Shion,"

"Shion!" Marie piped up, "Is Shion okay?"

Hideki couldn't help but slump at just how obsessed Marie was with Shion.

"Apparently, she's already been released," Stella said, checking over a monitor, "Her injuries weren't serious and apparently she fainted from having been in that hold for so long. She's being brought here now,"

Marie's face finally brightened a bit for the first time since she had arrived there. Almost as if on cue, the elevator behind them opened to reveal Shion, having a few bandages to cover her injuries but otherwise no worse for the wear. A taller man in a Buddy Police outfit with short, brown hair escorted her. His name tag read "Takihara". However, Shion hadn't made more than a couple of steps out of the elevator when she was suddenly crushed in Marie's grip.

"Shion!" Marie yelled as she embraced her friend, "Shion, Shion, Shion! I'm so glad you're okay."

"Marie," Shion squeaked, "You're crushing me!"

Marie suddenly realized what Shion had recently experienced and immediately released her, "Ohmigosh, I'm so sorry!' She said.

Shion fought to regain her breath, holding her hands on her knees, "No, it's fine," she said, "I'm just glad that you two are all right,"

"Of course we're okay!" Marie chimed, "That's because you saved us, Shion!"

Shion chuckled, "I'm not so sure about that."

Hideki couldn't help but notice just how well these two got along. Marie had been such a downer until Shion had shown up.

Which is why Commander I seemed to have trouble continuing, "I'm glad to see that you're feeling better, Ms. Shion," He began, "And I'm sorry that you have gotten involved in all of this. I can understand if this makes you have second thoughts about joining the Compatability Experiment."

"Oh no, it's fine," Shion replied, "I'm still happy I could take part."

"Soooo," Marie said, "What's going to happen to us now?" She gestured between Shion and herself.

"This is a unique case," Commander I said, "Not only did someone find the chink in our armor on this project, but we've stumbled across a compatible user for Marie at the same time. We'll need some time to deliberate what our next course of action should be."

Marie and Shion sank a bit at this.

"Still," Commander I continued, "While you wait, Hideki should be introduced to the experiment. He deserves to know just what he's gotten himself into."

A bit of a chill ran down Hideki's spine.

"Mr. Takihara, if you could escort these three to Laboratory Room 3106. I'm sure the Professors are worried sick about these two." Commander I said.

"Yes, sir!" Takihara replied.

The ride down to the 31st floor was a bit different than the way up. While she had been melancholic on the trip up, Marie now had her nose pressed firmly against the glass and looked out excitedly.

"Wow!" She said, "Shion, this is amazing! We're so high! And all the lights are so pretty,"

"Mmm," Shion concurred, "I get to see it every time I come here."

"You should see it during the day," Takihara chimed in, "You can see everything for miles around, provided the smog isn't too bad."

"Really?" Marie said with a gleam in her eyes, "The palace back home is really tall, but it's underwater so we can't see very far out of it." Marie rose to her feet and grabbed Shion by the hands, "Shion; we'll come back then, right?"

"Um, sure," Shion replied, a little unsteady.

Hideki, on the other hand, was still bearing the forces of the speedy elevator, the growing pressure of his situation adding an extra knot to his stomach that made the plummet feel even worse.

Finally, the elevator arrived at its destination and its occupants departed. A short walk through the curved hallways and they finally arrived at Lab 3106. Takihara entered a code on a nearby keypad and the doors opened. The lab was the sort of sterile white you would expect, abuzz with monitors and data and well-lit from above. Of particular note was a large, round device that almost appeared to be some sort of portal, its form wreathed in wires, hoses, and diodes, notable mainly because of its prominent placement in the laboratory.

Nearby, a large man loomed over a table covered in documents and research data, so engrossed in them that he didn't notice when the automatic door whisked open.

"Hello, Elvis," Shion called out to him. The man who turned did not resemble the former king of rock and roll in the slightest, but was instead an older gentleman, large and astonishingly muscular, though he had a large, dignified mustache on his upper lip. His outfit seemed a bit more old-fashioned, with a sleeveless vest descending into long coat-tails and a tight, button-down shirt that only seemed to emphasize his musculature. Most curious, though, was the pair of very small horns that protruded from his head.

At the sight of Shion, however, the dignified man's face was suddenly overraught with emotion. Dropping the papers he was looking at, he whirled around, tears streaming from his eyes with his arms outstretched.

"OHHH! SHION!" He bellowed, lifting her into a bear hug.

"Not again," Shion strained.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" Elvis continued, "We were worried sick about you."

"I'm okay, Elvis," Shion struggled, trying fruitlessly to push herself away from her captor. Elvis took note of this and released her. Shion continued after catching her breath, "Is the professor here?"

"He should be," Elvis replied. He turned around and called out within the lab, "PROFESSOR!" he yelled, "SHION IS HERE!"

"Right, right, I'm coming," an equally deep voice replied. Coming out from behind a large stack of machinery came another man. Hideki's eyes went wide and his jaw went slack when he saw the man's face. This "Professor" was the spitting image of the Elvis he had just met! Literally the same face, the same build, and the same mustache! Probably the only differences were his lack of horns and his more contemporary attire, complete with a long lab coat.

"OHHH! SHION!" The professor yelled, his face taking on the same tear-streaming expression of his compatriot as he lunged at her in the same manner. This time, however Marie leapt in between the two, her arms outstretched.

"Now that's enough!" She yelled, "Shion's been crushed enough for one day!"

"H..hello, Professor Elvis," Shion said meekly, poking out from behind Marie.

"Elvis?!" Hideki yelled, grabbing his head, "They're _both_ named Elvis?!" This was a bit too much crazy for him.

The two Elvises turned at the sound of Hideki's hysterics, "Ah, yes, of course, how rude of me not to introduce us," The Professor said, pointing to himself "I am Professor Elvis," He then pointed to the other Elvis, "And this is my Buddy Monster, Demon Lord Elvis of Magic World. Together, we work on..."

The two of them suddenly moved in perfect synchronization, making a grand motion to the contents of the lab, "The Compatability Experiment!"


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Fate and Friendship, Part 2

"Compatibility?" Hideki asked.

"Hrmm," Demon Lord Elvis replied, grabbing his chin, "Perhaps we should start at the beginning,"

"Quite," Professor Elvis replied, "Now, everyone knows that monsters from the other worlds appear when someone from this world pulls that monster's "Buddy Rare" card from a pack. That's common knowledge."

"But it's not so simple on the other end," Demon Lord Elvis continued, "When a monster seeks out a human to buddy, they're not given the option of every human on Earth to choose from. Instead, they see maybe a few hundred."

"These are they people with whom they share "Compatibility"," Professor Elvis continued, "That special spark which gives Monsters the ability to come to Earth and become buddies with humans!"

"That makes sense," Hideki replied.

"Naturally," Professor Elvis replied, "But not all Buddy relationships are happy ones."

"Indeed," Demon Lord Elvis continued, "Just because a monster and a human share Compatibility does not necessarily mean they would make good friends. Many Monsters and their Buddies have strained relationships and can't stand one another."

"I know how that feels," Hideki snarked, glancing at Marie, who rolled her eyes.

"That is why we have launched the compatibility experiment," Professor Elvis continued, "We are researching how compatibility works, what properties make compatibility, and if we can overcome it."

"Overcome it?" Hideki asked.

"Yes!" Demon Lord Elvis shouted.

"Think about it!" Professor Elvis chimed, "If we could figure out how to bypass Compatibility, then we could make it possible for monsters and humans to form relationships with anyone they chose!"

"Buddies by choice!" Demon Lord Elvis shouted, striking an odd pose with his left fist in the air.

"Rather than by fate!" Professor Elvis countered, mirroring the pose with his right fist.

"That is the Compatibility Experiment!" The two Elvises declared in unison.

This barrage of exposition left Hideki without much to say. Mulling it over, he admitted that such an idea, while a bit lofty, seemed like a reasonable ambition. He then turned to Marie and Shion.

"So where do you two come in?" Hideki asked.

"Oh, us?" Marie replied, "Well, the professors approached me right before it was time for me to send out my Buddy Rare, so I volunteered for the program. Shion volunteered, too!"

"More like I was coerced," Shion chuckled nervously, "I've known the professors for a long time."

"Aww, Shion," Marie giggled, hugging Shion gently and rubbing her head, "You know they wouldn't have to coerce me to be buddies with you!" Shion let out a nervous laugh in return.

"Marie and Shion were both our research subjects and control experiments at the same time," Professor Elvis said, "Since the two of them lack "Compatibility", we could measure them against ourselves. Thanks to them, we have at least created a machine that can detect it."

At this, Demon Lord Elvis whisked a sheet off of another machine. This one was more simple, roughly six feet long with a pair of discs, one with a card-shaped impression, and the other with an image of a handprint. A longer panel with a series of digital channels and wires embedded in it connected the two.

"But, Professor, how does is work, you ask?" Professor Elvis continued, "Elvis, if you please."

Demon Lord Elvis nodded, took a deep breath and then punched his large fists together. He vanished into a trail of yellow light that flowed to the Professor's waiting hand, rebuilding itself into a card.

"Now then, we just place the Buddy Rare card here," The Professor said, putting the card into the card-shaped slot, "And a person places their hand here," The Professor placed his hand on the handprint mark. In response, the various channel and wires in the machine suddenly illuminated in a brilliant show of light and color, all of them leading back to the card. "As you can see, Demon Lord Elvis and I are compatible." Professor Elvis removed his hand from the disc, "Now, if you would, Miss Shion," He motioned to the girl.

Shion lightly pulled herself from Marie's grip, and then stepped over to the machine. However, when she placed her hand on the disc, there was no reaction.

"As you can see, nothing happens," Professor Elvis replied.

Demon Lord Elvis then popped back into existence from his card form, "We developed this machine as a way of testing Compatibility without actually touching the cards, as that contact is what sets off a Buddy Rare's transportation effect."

"We figured there might be a way of bypassing the compatibility issue if a human and Buddy Monster formed a relationship, so we have had Shion and Marie interact for a long time,"

"That's what the ring over there is for," Shion gestured to the large ring placed in the center of the lab, "It lets us communicate with Monsters in the other worlds."

"Really? That's what we were talking through?" Marie asked, "I was just kinda using my mirror back at the palace," She rubbed the back of her head.

"Yeah, about that," Hideki said, " "Princess"?"

"Hmm?" Marie replied quizzically, "Oh, yes! I'm Princess Marie Aquarios the 4th of the highest ruling family in Aqua World." She then struck a smug expression, "Perhaps you should be more grateful about being in my regal presence," She said with obvious sarcasm, setting her hand under her mouth in a haughty gesture.

Hideki grumbled at the prospect.

"If I may continue," Professor Elvis remarked, clearing his throat, "The fact that you have stumbled into this does create a bit of a problem for us, as now we will have to search for another inactive Buddy Rare card."

"Is that bad?" Hideki asked.

"No," Professor Elvis replied, "It would probably take us a few weeks,"

"Or a few months," Demon Lord Elvis said with a hint of fury.

"Or a few years," Professor Elvis fumed.

"Hey, this isn't my fault!" Hideki yelled.

"That's true, for the most part," Professor Elvis replied, "We never thought someone would go after this project so aggressively, or that Shion would run into you."

"I mean, "Become buddies with any monster you want"?" Demon Lord Elvis continued, "Of course we feared it would be targeted; it's why we're working so closely with the Buddy Police. Without a doubt, things are definitely going to change."

"Indeed," Professor Elvis replied, "Which is why," he continued, walking up to Hideki and grabbing his shoulder, "I will have to test your resolve,"

"Pardon?" Hideki stammered.

"I want you to Buddyfight against me," The Professor said.

"What? But why?!" Hideki asked, "Isn't once enough?"

"I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter." The professor replied.

This sudden tone caused Hideki to be taken aback. He couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be some emotion roiling beneath the surface of the Professor's face. However, this soon faded as the Professor's face changed to a more jovial one.

"Ha ha!" The Professor laughed, "Relax, this isn't going to be a life or death match like you had before. Consider it practice!" He again turned to Shion, "Shion, can you activate the portable arena for me?"

"Yes, sir," Shion turned and pushed a switch on a nearby wall. Hideki stumbled as the very floor let out the unmistakable hum of a large generator firing up. Marie also let out a shudder.

"Woah," she said, "That feels weird. It's like I'm invigorated somehow,"

The two Elvises chuckled. "I see you neither of you have experienced a Buddyfight in a proper arena yet," The Professor said, "You may have had a Buddyfight against that character in the mask, but normally a Buddyfight must happen within the confines of a proper field, and even then, even an ultracompact generator such as ours requires basically an entire room below it in order to function."

"It would be interesting to find out how these mysterious fighters are able to instigate a Buddyfight without the required arena," Demon Lord Elvis remarked.

"It would," Professor Elvis replied, as he turned and began walking towards a series of hexagonal panels at one end of the lab, "But that's not really our field of study, is it?"

"I guess not," Demon Lord Elvis laughed. Upon reaching the rear Hexagon, the two turned and faced Hideki, "Well?" The professor asked, "We're waiting."

Hideki looked down at his feet. Indeed before him was a similar set of Hexagons.

"Do we have to?" he asked, looking up at Marie.

"I dunno about you," Marie said, jostling from one foot to the other, "But the feeling I get in this arena's got me all fired up!"

Hideki sighed. Might as well get this over with. Hideki stepped into the panel that mirrored the one Professor Elvis was in.

"Very good," Professor Elvis replied, "Now then," He lifted his deck case, one in a professional silver and white trim with a purple gem in the center, which he pressed against his head. With a flash, the case transformed itself into an astoundingly high-tech visor with a band of green glass covering the Professor's eyes, streams of data passing across it, "Give us the power to proceed," he said, "Forbidden Knowledge deck, luminize!" With a gesture from his head down to the front of him, the first six cards of his deck appeared before him, along with two to his gauge.

"Let's do it, Hideki!" Marie said.

"Right," Hideki said, drawing the Deck Case from his pocket. Placing it at his left wrist, the Duel Disc he had made appeared once more, "Aqua World Basic Deck, Version 1, Luminize!" The same pattern of lights appeared before him.

Shion watched passively.

"We fight for Magic World," Demon Lord Elvis declared, a flag made of magical energy appeared behind them, a magical glyph marked by a staff and a wand emblazoning it.

"And we fight for Aqua World!" Marie replied, the flag of fishes again appearing behind them.

"You are also going first," Professor Elvis said.

"Eh?" Hideki startled, "Um, okay." Again, the "Douse" card was in his hand, though he still had no idea what the card meant, "Charge and draw!" He said as he drew a fresh card from the deck.

"I cast Key of Solomon, First Volume!" Professor Elvis remarked, casting a card from his hand and increasing his gauge to four.

"Wait," Hideki said, a bit stunned, "Isn't it my turn?"

"Well, yes," The professor replied, "But Key of Solomon, First Volume can be cast at any time." There was a bit of an awkward pause, "Oh, I'm finished. Please continue," The professor said, waving his hand.

Hideki sighed, then finally looked down at his hand. It had a fair share of familiar cards. Since he only got one attack, he figured he might as well make it count, "I call Swinging Anchor Mermaid to the Center!" With a flash, the pirate shark mermaid appeared before Hideki, wielding its

"Hold on," Marie said.

"What is it now?" Hideki griped.

"The way he suddenly played that card." Marie replied, "He's got to be up to something, building his gauge like that!"

"But it's not even his turn!" Hideki protested.

"Either way, just be careful," Marie remarked.

"Fine," Hideki said. He was getting a little sick of people telling him how to play the game, "I'll be careful," He reached for the cards in his hand, "I also call Stinging Coral Mermaid to the Left! And now, Swinging Anchor Mermaid attacks the Fighter!" The sultry lass hefted her anchor in the air and darted towards the Professor.

It was then that Hideki noticed the sinister glint in the Professor's eyes, "I cast!" he declared, causing

"I told you he was up to something!" Marie shouted.

"Quick Summon!" The Professor continued, "By paying its call cost, I can summon a monster from my hand to intercept the attack! I pay three gauge!"

"_Three?!"_ Hideki thought to himself, "_What kind of monster costs three gauge?!"_

"And call Demon Programmer Marbas to the center!" The Professor finished. The energy from the Quick Summon card let out a light that rapidly etched a glyph into the air above the center zone. Out from the glyph stepped a bespectacled man…woman? It was kind of impossible to tell at first sight! Either way, the sight was enough to stop everyone in their tracks.

A tall, thin figure in white pants and a cloak with a lion's head for a sleeve, the paws wrapping around the front of its body. What had looked like a pair of large horns coming out of its head were in fact some strange accoutrements on a pair of headphones, the lion's head on his shoulder wearing a similar pair for some reason. In one hand, the figure held what was obviously a laptop computer, its other hand poised over the keyboard, ready to operate the machine at any moment. Marbas turned to the ones that had summoned it.

"Oh, hello, Professors" it said in a soft, masculine voice, "It's good to see you two again."

"It's good to see you again, too, Marbas," the Professor replied, "I'm afraid we'll be needing your services again."

"Certainly," Marbas replied. He then turned to his opponent, "Swinging Anchor Mermaid, is it?" He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, then began typing, "If that's the case, then the weak point should be…"

The Anchor Mermaid quickly startled to realization. Trying to deny Marbas the chance to look her up on his computer, she rushed forward and hefted her anchor into the air. With a yell, she brought it hurtling towards the typist.

"…Right about here," Marbas brought his typing hand up from his keyboard and, with a single finger, managed to stop the huge anchor in its tracks, the force of the impact whipping his hair and the mane of his lion coat around, but not jostling his body in the slightest. From the point where Marbas had stopped the anchor, bands of teal energy, forming angular shapes radiated outwards. They covered the anchor and continued down onto Anchor Mermaid's body. Once her body was completely engulfed in the lines, with a slight yelp, Anchor Mermaid's body burst apart into a flutter of cards.

For Hideki and Marie, it was a jaw-dropping sight.

"Demon Programmer Marbas," Professor Elvis continued, "He may not look like much, but he's a Size 3 monster and is not to be taken lightly."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Professor," Marbas chuckled sarcastically, correcting his glasses again.

"My turn!" The Professor said, "Draw! Charge and Draw!" Bringing his hand back up to four and his gauge to two, The Professor continued, "First, I cast the spell "Nice One". By paying one gauge, I draw two cards!" This brought his hand up to five, "Then, I'll pay another gauge in order to play Gunrod Bechstein!"

What appeared in the Professor's hand was definitely not a piano, as the name would suggest, but was instead an intricate, angular weapon of gilded wood, which certainly had the look of its "Gunrod" namesake. The weapon resembled a bulky sort of rifle, a glowing blue energy contained within the center.

"Now," The Professor said, readying the weapon, "I attack!"

"Wait, you can't attack with a monster in the center!" Hideki shouted.

"That's what makes Gunrods special," The professor replied sternly. Aiming the gunrod upwards, the Professor fired the weapon, a blue ball of energy arcing over the still-smiling Marbas and clean into Hideki, dropping his life to nine, "And now, Marbas, Attack the fighter!

"Understood," Marbas said, reaching for his keyboard again.

"Not so fast!" Hideki yelled, "I cast Fluid Tactics and, using one gauge, I move Stinging Coral Mermaid to the center!" A quick flash caused the inattentive mermaid to warp from the Left into the Center. Hideki had at least made some preparations for a counter-attack, it seemed.

"Oh, but will that be enough?" The Professor chided.

Making a quick recalculation, Marbas made a confident smirk, "There are no defenses in this world I cannot breach," With a decisive tap on his keyboard, the screen on Marbas's Laptop let out an intense glow. Hideki recoiled a bit as Marbas literally reached into his computer screen. When he drew it out, it was wreathed in spiraling lines of computer code, far more extensive than a human programmer could have entered in this short time. Marbas drew his arm back, "Run Program, Defense Breach Lion!" Thrusting his arm forward, the code enveloping his had converged together into the crude, blue, polygonal form of a charging lion, the letters "DPM" emblazoned across its forehead.

The poor coral mermaid barely had time to look up before the lion-shaped program was upon her, enveloping both of them in a cloud of smoke. However, once the smoke cleared, Hideki realized that the lion program had sunk its teeth into his shoulder. His blocker was gone, and his life had dropped to 6. The program then vanished, leaving no wounds, but instead the usual marks which quickly vanished.

"W-what?" he said, surprised.

"I told you, there's nothing I can't get through," Marbas said with a slightly more sinister tone. He then recomposed himself, returning to his upright posture.

"Marbas has the Penetrate ability," The Professor said, "That means that the damage he deals gets through as long as he defeats his opponent."

"I know that!" Hideki yelled, "I'll draw, then I'll call Ocean Dragon Aquiladon to the left, and-"

"You forgot to charge and draw again," Marie remarked.

"Whatever!" Hideki said, "Now I'll Buddy Call Marie to the center!"

Marie pouted as she jumped into the center area as Aquiladon appeared at her left. She was just being used as a shield again.

"We can do that, too!" Hideki declared, "Now, Aquiladon, Attack Marbas!"

Aquiladon reared back its head and unleashed a shrieking torrent of water towards an unmoved Marbas.

"I cast!" The Professor retorted, "Solomon's Shield!" Casting out his hand, a glyph appeared between Marbas and Aquiladon, the spray of water washing over it like it was an unbreakable sheet of glass.

"You didn't think I'd let it be that simple!" The Professor replied, "Unless Marie wants to hurl herself at Marbas, it's my turn. I draw!" The professor drew a new card, "Charge and draw!" He cupped his hand onto his chin as he looked at his hand.

"Hrmm," He muttered, "I imagine you have Marie in the center because, even though Marbas is stronger, his penetrate doesn't work because Marie would not be destroyed. You would be correct."

Hideki swallowed hard. Marie tapped her foot impatiently.

"However," The Professor continued, "There are other ways around such defenses," He picked a card in his hand, his other hand becoming shrouded in a new glyph, "I cast Magical Goodbye!"

The professor flung the spell like a frisbee towards Marie. Marie braced herself, but after the spell struck her dead-on she found herself caught in an orb of magical energy, the small size of the sphere causing her body to be curled up.

"Hey, hey, wait a minute!" She yelled. The orb then bolted for the cards in Hideki's hand, shrinking down and adding itself to the cards still there.

"M..Marie?" Hideki said nervously. Marie had not reappeared at his side, and seemed to have gotten stuck in the cards in his hand. A slightly sinister chuckle refocused Hideki's gaze back towards Professor Elvis, as well as the wide-open path left behind by Marie's departure.

"You still have a lot to learn about Buddyfighting," The Professor remarked, raising his Gunrod again and using it to remove the life point that Hideki had regained from Marie's Buddy Gift, "Now, Marbas, Attack the fighter!"

Marbas began preparing his attack program once more.

"_I know, I'll cast Freeze! That will buy me some time!" _Hideki thought. However a quick glance to his left revealed a troubling sight: His lack of Gauge had come back to bite him, and now he had no cards in his hand that could stop Marbas! Hideki reeled as the lion-shaped attack program struck once more, halving his remaining life points.

Still, he had three life points left. Surely Hideki could find a way to turn this around next turn when.

"Final Phase!" The Professor interrupted Hideki's train of thought.

"Final what?" He asked.

"I cast Key of Solomon, First Volume!" The Professor declared, bringing his gauge back up to three, "And now, _Cast!"_ The Professor held up a horizontal card, which glowed with a brighter energy that any of the cards had before.

Hideki took a step back at the sight.

In response to the call, Marbas raised his hand into the air, the three gauge at the Professor's Left disappearing and congealing into a sphere of pure energy above his raised finger, a slight laugh escaping his mouth.

"Impact!" The Professor yelled as he leapt into the air, arm outstretched, "Diabolical Hardcore!" The Professor spiked the sphere of energy like it was a volleyball. The high-velocity attack deformed in the air at its high speed as it headed towards Hideki. Despite not doing any real damage, the impact was still enough to knock Hideki down. His life points had been dropped to zero by that surprising attack.

"Ugh!" Hideki said as he righted himself, covering his hand with his face, "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes, it was!" The Professor replied sharply, "There are many Buddyfighters out there who are far more skilled than me, and your association with this project, however incidental, means that others may come after you. I'm just making sure you understand what you're up against."

Hideki scowled under his hand. There was no doubt that the Professor also wanted to vent some steam for some reason.

"Whatever the reasons may be," Marbas chimed in, "I'm sorry to see that your research has hit a roadblock. Be sure to get in contact with the real me as soon as possible."

"The 'real' you?" Hideki deadpanned. Wasn't the "real" Marbas right in front of him?

"Oh, pardon me," Marbas said politely, turning around, "You see, unless you possess the buddy rare card for a monster, those who appear in battle are little more than mere avatars, though I've managed to take things a step further with mine," Marbas typed something into his laptop, "I've made a note to expect your call," He made one, final decisive tap on his keyboard, "Ciao," And with a blip, he vanished, taking all of the effects of the finished battle with him.

Except for Marie's card. The light containing her exploded outwards, Marie leaping out of it and exhaling loudly as though she had been holding her breath.

"Man, I HATE that!" She yelled, dusting off the front of her dress, "Am I gonna get cramped up like that every time that happens?" She grumbled something as she reached for one of four jeweled pins kept in her hair behind her gold comb. With a flick, the bristles of a more traditional comb sprang out and Marie got to fixing the hair that had been moved out of place due to the uncomfortable effects of Magical Goodbye as she turned to Hideki, "Judging by the fact that you're sitting on the floor, I'm guessing the Professor kicked your butt while I was away."

"Yeah," Hideki said.

"Figures," Marie replied. Hideki could only growl in response. Enough was implied by Marie's voice that she didn't need to go into detail how she felt.

It was then that a nearby television screen flickered to life, the crystal-clear image of Commander I filling the screen.

"Ah, good, you're still here," The monitor buzzed, "After some time, we have finally come to a decision regarding how to handle this situation." Commander I gave the people in the lab the time to appropriately gather. The two Elvises stood side-by-side and Marie and Hideki stood opposite to them, Shion slowly approaching the two.

"After intense deliberation," Commander I continued, "Ms Shion Wakamichi, we have decided to revoke your provisional Buddy Contract?"

A visible twinge of shock ran down Shion's face, but it paled in comparison to Marie's reaction.

"What?!" Marie yelled, stomping her foot, "But why?!"

"You must understand that this is a peculiar case," Commander I replied, "Under any other circumstances, I would have allowed you to stay with Shion but, since the two of you are being targeted by someone, I felt it would be best if you remained with the one with whom you can luminize a deck and utilize the Buddy Skill. I'll see to it that Shion receives a proper escort home at night."

"But…but…" Marie said. She then turned to Shion, "Shion, say something!"

"Huh?" Shion said. She seemed to have been in a daze before Marie had addressed her, "Oh, um. I'm with it, actually. It… makes sense to me, too." She glanced around nervously a bit.

Marie was shocked by Shion's response. Clenching her fists, she turned again and voiced her objections to Commander I's decision. As she did so and the others became embroiled in the debate, Hideki could see Shion quietly slinking away out the laboratory door.

Seeing as nobody had any interest in his opinion on the matter, Hideki decided it would be best to leave the bickering. Following Shion out the door, he saw that Shion had stepped outside for some fresh air on a nearby balcony. She was leaning against a railing, her head cupped in her hand, looking up at the night sky. She took a deep sigh.

Shion was startled when Hideki opened the door to the balcony, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Um…hey," he said, still halfway through the door. Shion shrank away from him. For a while, there was merely the sounds of outside, some cars moving about, an air conditioner running, and the general hum of a nighttime metropolis; echoing from the distance, like everything was so far away.

The moment only grew more awkward by the second. Shion remained stock still and Hideki, still halfway through the door, was quickly pacing through his mind, trying to find a way to break the silence. Sadly, Marie had been right about his lack of imagination.

"So," Hideki said finally, "This whole Buddyfighting thing is a whole lot harder than I thought it was," he said.

Dang. Not the best choice.

"Oh," Shion replied, "It is, isn't it?" She said, "I've played against the Professors many times in the past,"

"Really?" Hideki said, a bit relieved that Shion was willing to go along with it, "There was that card he played, the one that increased his gauge?"

"Key Solomon, First Volume?" Shion asked.

"Yeah, that one," Hideki replied, "Does this deck have anything like that in here?" He motioned to the Core Gadget that was still attached to his wrist.

"Um, I'm not sure, really," Shion replied, "I know that the version of that card for Aqua World is called "Summer Rain". If there aren't any in there, they might not be a bad idea to add."

"I guess so," Hideki replied, "What about that Diabolical Hardcore thing?"

"Oh, I know the deck doesn't have any Impacts in it, yet. I haven't been able to find any," Shion replied.

"I see," Hideki said, "And what about that 'Magical Goodbye' spell?"

"Oh, I don't think there is," Shion said, "Aqua World prefers to move monsters or freeze them in place rather than removing them." She chuckled, "Then again, I don't really collect that many cards." Her giggling grows a bit stronger, "The way Marie reacted to getting all bunched up like that, it's kinda funny now that I think about it."

Hideki found himself recalling the incident the same way, Marie's frightened expression, once alarming, now seemed just plain silly, especially since no harm befell her. Hideki found himself laughing as well.

"Still, I'm kinda jealous," He said.

"Jealous?" Shion questioned.

"Yeah, I mean, you and Marie get along so well together. Looking at us now, I don't think the two of us will ever get along." Hideki said.

"Jealous…" Shion said. Hideki turned to Shion. The jovial expression she had worn mere moments ago had once again turned expressionless.

"Sh…Shion?" Hideki asked nervously.

"The jealous one…" Shion said, "Is me!" Like someone had turned a nozzle on a faucet, Shion unleashed every ounce of emotion she had. Tears streamed down her face, her glasses fogging up slightly from the moisture, everything she had been holding back all this time bursting forth all at once. Hideki couldn't help but take a step back, "Marie…Marie was the first real friend I've ever had!" she continued, "We were supposed to be buddies! Be best friends! Spend all of our time together! We've been preparing for this for months!" Shion raised her hands to her face, her glasses being forced upwards as she fell to her knees, "When Marie came out of the card because of you, I just couldn't take it! And now we're going to be apart again!"

Hideki was frozen to the spot. He had absolutely no idea how to handle this situation as Shion's emotional outburst continued. As basically the source of her distress, Hideki felt powerless to do anything for the poor girl.

"Shion?" Hideki turned at the sound of the voice. He discovered that Marie had joined them on the balcony, having come partway through the door, "Oh, Shion," she said. She walked up to her friend and knelt down, embracing Shion, "I'm so sorry, Shion," she said, "I know it seems like things are going to change, but one thing hasn't," She nestled herself closer to Shion, "I may be Hideki's Buddy Monster for the time being, but you're still my best friend in the whole world; that hasn't changed one bit."

Shion finally removed her hands from her face and looked up at Marie. Marie returned with a reassuring smile. Shion abruptly returned Marie's embrace, still bawling loudly. Marie brought her hand around and gently stroked Shion on her head to comfort her.

Hideki finally exhaled. This was the second time tonight Marie had saved him from his own mistakes. Still, watching the two, Hideki couldn't help but feel a little guilty. After all, the accident that night would force the two apart soon.

"Hey, Marie," He said gently, ""Ya know, if it really means that much to you, we can come see her any time."

Marie turned to him and her eyes lit up like diamonds, "You promise?"

"Promise," Hideki replied.

Marie's eyes could light a room, "Yay! Did you hear that, Shion?!" She said jubilantly, crushing Shion in a tight hug, "I can come see you any time I want! Isn't that great?!" The now crushed Shion could only try to strain a response.

Hideki felt a lot better about the situation now. He knew he had gotten himself into a difficult scenario, but for now, the grander scheme of things didn't matter to him. It was awfully late though, and he was sure his parents were-

Marie and Shion were suddenly shocked to attention as Hideki let out a loud scream, grabbing his head with his hands.

"Wha…what was that for?" Marie asked.

Hideki had a simple reply for that.

"_I forgot the milk!"_


	6. Intermission(Fate and Friendship)

~INTERMISSION~

Hello there! I'm Paruko, here to guide you through the world of Buddyfight: High Stakes!

The **Buddy Card Office** doesn't just contain the Buddy Police Headquarters and Buddy Monster Registry, it's home to a host of experiments and studies meant to improve the lives and relationships of Buddy Monsters and Humans as well as give the Buddy Police their specialized equipment such as the Future Force. The Compatability Experiment is just one of hundreds of such studies, seeking to find out how to make it so that any human can buddy with any monster. Who knows, you might have a Buddy Rare in your collection and just not know it yet!

_**Next Chapter: **__Hideki and Marie try to settle in to living with one another. The two quickly discover their conflicting views and interests to be problematic. Things don't get any better when Hideki is enlisted to the Buddy Fighters club. Can Hideki and Marie deal with the roiling tensions between them?_

New Cards used in these chapters:

No new cards this chapter. Professor Elvis used only cards that already exist. However, I have developed a power chart by identifying the power scales of the five worlds that have been released so far. Hopefully it will be useful for those looking to create their own custom Buddy Monsters!

Except that Fanfiction hates html links, so I'm afraid I'll have to post it elsewhere.

Aqua World uses a mixed scale, where Nereids use the Magic/Katana world scale while Ocean Dragons use the Dragon World scale. This is balanced by the support and abilities of each race. Nereids get all sorts of awesome support cards I have yet to show off.

**Can you open a Buddy Rare Card? What do you think?**


End file.
